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What’s new on the app stores on Monday 6 February 2012

A selection of 13 apps for you today:

Greggs

Ah, those moments when you MUST have a piping-hot sausage roll or three, but don’t know where to go. The official iPhone app for UK bakery chain Greggs can help, with its GPS-enabled Shop Finder feature. It also promotes discounts, includes the complete menu, and social sharing features.
iPhone

Time Ducks

Frogger meets Braid meets slot machines. Intrigued? Danish developer Tough Guy Studios has released this lovingly-created line-drawing game that involves getting animals across the road, while rewinding and fast-forwarding time at will.
iPhone / iPad

Parent Bingo

Parenting can be a stressful experience. iPhone app Parent Bingo aims to help by boosting “a parent’s first line of defence – their sense of humour”. The idea: mark off parental experiences on a digital bingo card, and share with friends.
iPhone

Seesmic Ping

Social startup Seesmic’s latest Android app wants to help people schedule their posts to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, choosing when and where status updates should be made available.
Android

FourFourTwo Gallery

Magazine publisher Haymarket has a new appy spin-off from FourFourTwo magazine. This Gallery app for iPad offers football photography, from action shots to the sillier side of the game – as well as more than 200 covers from the mag itself.
iPad

Infected

Out on iOS since December 2011, Glu’s freemium action game Infected is now on Android. It sees you roaming the streets of New York killing zombies. Well, it’s more the zombies who are roaming, given that this is a tower defence-style game.
Android

iDaTank

After for a quirky yet lovely-looking Japanese robo-exploration game? Look no further than iDataTank, which has enough character to perhaps become a breakout indie hit on Android.
Android

Mr Legs

It must be the week for intriguing indie Android games. Mr Legs is the work of a new studio called James Games, and sees its long-legged hero plucking cherries on the streets of Londonium, with a characterful visual style.
Android

Rogue Racing

Another freemium game from Glu, but this time iOS-only – for now at least. Rogue Racing is a Need For Speed-style street-racing game, but reviewers on the App Store are already complaining about the gameplay and in-app purchases implementation.
iPhone / iPad

Disney Second Screen: Lady And the Tramp Edition

It’s US-only, but Disney’s latets second-screen iPad app is designed to be used during or after watching Lady and the Tramp, accessing galleries, flipbooks and playing challenges.
iPad

Pet Shop Story: Valentine’s Day

The new fashion for iOS freemium social games seems to be launching calendar-focused spin-offs. Lots had Christmas editions, but now TeamLava’s Pet Shop Story has got in first with a Valentine’s Day version. A pet shop with a “Kitty Kissing Booth”? Sounds illegal.
iPhone / iPad

My Country: Sports Edition

There’s also the genre-based spin-off, as seen in this new Android game from Cooper Media: a sporty offshoot from its My Country freemium game. The idea: build the perfect sports village, with tennis courts, stadia and swimming pools. Bonuses feed back into the main game too.
Android

ARWedding Japan

And finally, (virtual) hats off to the Japanese couple who have released an augmented reality Android app just for guests coming to their wedding reception: “Just hold the camera up to the QR code to see your gift!”
Android

What’s new on the app stores on Monday 6 February 2012

A selection of 13 apps for you today:

Greggs

Ah, those moments when you MUST have a piping-hot sausage roll or three, but don’t know where to go. The official iPhone app for UK bakery chain Greggs can help, with its GPS-enabled Shop Finder feature. It also promotes discounts, includes the complete menu, and social sharing features.
iPhone

Time Ducks

Frogger meets Braid meets slot machines. Intrigued? Danish developer Tough Guy Studios has released this lovingly-created line-drawing game that involves getting animals across the road, while rewinding and fast-forwarding time at will.
iPhone / iPad

Parent Bingo

Parenting can be a stressful experience. iPhone app Parent Bingo aims to help by boosting “a parent’s first line of defence – their sense of humour”. The idea: mark off parental experiences on a digital bingo card, and share with friends.
iPhone

Seesmic Ping

Social startup Seesmic’s latest Android app wants to help people schedule their posts to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, choosing when and where status updates should be made available.
Android

FourFourTwo Gallery

Magazine publisher Haymarket has a new appy spin-off from FourFourTwo magazine. This Gallery app for iPad offers football photography, from action shots to the sillier side of the game – as well as more than 200 covers from the mag itself.
iPad

Infected

Out on iOS since December 2011, Glu’s freemium action game Infected is now on Android. It sees you roaming the streets of New York killing zombies. Well, it’s more the zombies who are roaming, given that this is a tower defence-style game.
Android

iDaTank

After for a quirky yet lovely-looking Japanese robo-exploration game? Look no further than iDataTank, which has enough character to perhaps become a breakout indie hit on Android.
Android

Mr Legs

It must be the week for intriguing indie Android games. Mr Legs is the work of a new studio called James Games, and sees its long-legged hero plucking cherries on the streets of Londonium, with a characterful visual style.
Android

Rogue Racing

Another freemium game from Glu, but this time iOS-only – for now at least. Rogue Racing is a Need For Speed-style street-racing game, but reviewers on the App Store are already complaining about the gameplay and in-app purchases implementation.
iPhone / iPad

Disney Second Screen: Lady And the Tramp Edition

It’s US-only, but Disney’s latets second-screen iPad app is designed to be used during or after watching Lady and the Tramp, accessing galleries, flipbooks and playing challenges.
iPad

Pet Shop Story: Valentine’s Day

The new fashion for iOS freemium social games seems to be launching calendar-focused spin-offs. Lots had Christmas editions, but now TeamLava’s Pet Shop Story has got in first with a Valentine’s Day version. A pet shop with a “Kitty Kissing Booth”? Sounds illegal.
iPhone / iPad

My Country: Sports Edition

There’s also the genre-based spin-off, as seen in this new Android game from Cooper Media: a sporty offshoot from its My Country freemium game. The idea: build the perfect sports village, with tennis courts, stadia and swimming pools. Bonuses feed back into the main game too.
Android

ARWedding Japan

And finally, (virtual) hats off to the Japanese couple who have released an augmented reality Android app just for guests coming to their wedding reception: “Just hold the camera up to the QR code to see your gift!”
Android

iPhone, Distinctive Developments, 69p

Perpetual motion games have proved a big hit on mobiles – thriving on bursts of intensely pressured gameplay in the object-hurtles-towards-dangerous-obstacle mould, with only the player’s hand-eye co-ordination to prolong the agony. My Army (iPhone, Distinctive Developments, 69p) pushes this further. With a top-down perspective reminiscent of Cannon Fodder, a squadron of four soldiers heads into enemy territory.

To start, you tilt the iPhone to manoeuvre around obstacles, barbed wire and mines, before hails of gunfire are added, then rockets and bombs that must be swept from the screen. Returning fire is vital for buying time – but ammo is limited and crates must be collected to replenish supplies. Dead soldiers can be replaced with rescued PoWs but once all the men are down it’s game over.

Repeated attempts to top that high score inevitably follow, along with much tilting, swiping, gnashing of teeth and tearing of hair – hallmarks of the just-one-more-go greats.

Rovio’s Mikael Hed tells music industry audience that embracing pirates can attract new fans

Rovio Mobile learned from the music industry’s mistakes when deciding how to deal with piracy of its Angry Birds games and merchandise, chief executive Mikael Hed told the Midem conference in Cannes this morning.

“We have some issues with piracy, not only in apps, but also especially in the consumer products. There is tons and tons of merchandise out there, especially in Asia, which is not officially licensed products,” said Hed.

“We could learn a lot from the music industry, and the rather terrible ways the music industry has tried to combat piracy.”

Hed explained that Rovio sees it as “futile” to pursue pirates through the courts, except in cases where it feels the products they are selling are harmful to the Angry Birds brand, or ripping off its fans.

When that’s not the case, Rovio sees it as a way to attract more fans, even if it is not making money from the products. “Piracy may not be a bad thing: it can get us more business at the end of the day.”

According to Hed, Rovio has taken some more positive lessons from the music industry, including how it sees its customers.

“We took something from the music industry, which was to stop treating the customers as users, and start treating them as fans. We do that today: we talk about how many fans we have,” he said.

“If we lose that fanbase, our business is done, but if we can grow that fanbase, our business will grow.”

It seems there may be more partnerships between Angry Birds and music artists in the future, too. Hed explained that Rovio sees Angry Birds as a bona-fide “channel” now, with people spending so much time in the app, it is competing with the most popular TV shows in the US in terms of time spent.

“Already our apps are becoming channels, and we can use that channel to cross-promote – to sell further content,” he said. “The content itself has transformed into the channel, and the traditional distribution channels are no longer the kingmakers.”

Rovio hasn’t worked with music companies or artists yet, although that is happening elsewhere in the games industry. Social games company Zynga, for example, has run promotions with Lady Gaga and Michael Buble in its Facebook games.

“We have some discussions with labels about what we could do together to give access,” Hed told the Midem audience.

“It is possible to promote music content through our apps as well… We are positively looking for new partnerships, and we have a rather big team working on partnerships, so it’s just a case of getting in touch with us and we’ll take it from there”

What’s new on the app stores on Thursday 26 January 2012

A selection of 13 new apps for you today:

Baseball Superstars 2012

South Korean publisher Gamevil knows its baseball, having notched up more than 30m downloads of its previous Baseball Superstars games. The latest version takes the series freemium, as you manage and play as a team, while earning skill points and special moves. Online multiplayer is also included.
iPhone / iPad

Shakespeare In Bits: Hamlet iPad Edition

Hamlet is the latest play to get the Shakespeare In Bits treatment from Mindconnex Learning. That means the unabridged text accompanied by an animated version of the play, an audio soundtrack, and a host of study notes and character biographies. A separate iPhone version is also available.
iPhone / iPad

Geordie Shore Tweet Tracker

You are all watching Geordie Shore, right? MTV’s UK reality show is returning with a second series at the end of January, and there’s inevitably an app for that. This one provides tweets from the cast members – complete with a high-score table to see who has the most followers – and behind-the-scenes videos.
iPhone / iPad

Namco Arcade

Namco Bandai is aiming to bring the coin-op arcade mentality to iOS in its new take on freemium gaming. What that means is a collection of old Namco games – Xevious, The Tower of Druaga, Motos and Phozon – in a compilation app that gives one free play a day, then gets players to buy “Play Coins” if they want more action.
iPhone / iPad

Cliqz

Cliqz is the latest news aggregation app, launching on iOS and Android. It aims to build “a real-time stream of the best news, stories, and videos based on your interests”, learning from your preferences over time to become more relevant.
Android / iPhone / iPad

SupaSupaCross

Indie studio SupaSupaGames has released its first iOS and Android title, a top-down racer offering plenty of retro thrills.
Android / iPhone / iPad

PGA Tour HD

The PGA Tour has launched an official iPad app, promising live tournament coverage – including video – leaderboards updated in real-time, player stats, course layouts, and social features.
iPad

Nursery Rhymes

UK studio ustwo has ported its iOS children’s book-app Nursery Rhymes to the BlackBerry PlayBook, offering Humpty Dumpty, Twinkle Twinkle, Three Blind Mice and other characters, with sumptuous illustrations and interactivity.
BlackBerry PlayBook

GLWG: All Out War

Android’s Great Little War Game franchise has a new episode, offering two new campaigns. The 3D turn-based strategy game promises the chance to “Invade your neighbours, spread mayhem and destruction, drink a little tea…”
Android

Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space Ep 1

Classic adventure-game characters Sam & Max return to the App Store in Telltale Games’ latest game, which sees the violent rabbit’n'dog duo facing “hairy, bloated, pagan God” Santa Claus.
iPhone / iPad

Viggle

Another day, another social TV app. Viggle is US-only for now, and comes armed with a clear pitch: “Watch TV. Get Rewards.” Specifically, it wants people to check in to TV shows Foursquare-style and earn reward points to be spent in Best Buy, Burger King, Old Navy and other retailers.
iPhone

Paper Monsters

Crescent Moon Games’ Paper Monsters looks a lovely game, blending side-scrolling platform gameplay with lush 3D levels constructed from (virtual) paper and cardboard.
iPhone / iPad

Justin.tv HD

Livestreaming video service Justin.tv has a new iPad app to help people find their way through its 3,000+ live channels. The app includes chat features, and supports Apple’s AirPlay technology to stream them to a bigger TV screen.
iPad

‘The things that worked last year are totally different to what works today,’ says Paul Bettner

In November 2008, two brothers released their first iPhone game, Chess With Friends, which enabled people to have multiple games of chess on the go over the network. It was followed in July 2009 by Words With Friends, a game inspired by Scrabble that became a multiplayer phenomenon.

Fast forward to November 2010, when social games giant Zynga paid $53.3m for the developer of those games, NewToy. The brothers stayed on, with David Bettner becoming studio director, and Paul Bettner taking a role as general manager of the renamed Zynga With Friends studio.

“It’s been a crazy ride from those very early days on Chess With Friends. We wanted to replicate this whole ‘sitting round a table playing board games with your family’ feeling,” says Paul Bettner.

“At the same time, we were focused on creating the table rather than the game itself. We wanted to create this platform that we could put a lot of games on top of, which would work in the same way replicating that feeling of sitting playing a game with a friend, but digitally.”

Bettner uses another comparison too, saying that NewToy took inspiration from text messaging, and what it might mean to create “a play version of that”.

Since the acquisition, the With Friends studio has shipped two more games – Hanging With Friends and Scramble With Friends – while also launching a Facebook version of Words With Friends. Zynga says players of Scramble With Friends are currently playing 7m rounds a day of the Boggle-inspired hame.

Bettner is very clear on the main appeal of the With Friends games: it’s the communication rather than the gameplay itself. “When people tell us what they love about Words With Friends, they don’t tell us they love the strategy of the game and how you can make these triple-word whatevers,” he says.

“They tell us they love how this game keeps them connected to their mother-in-law in Wisconsin, or the way they get up every morning to see their brother has taken his turn. That’s what I expect to hear if we do our jobs well.”

Bettner says that the studio has learned over time that it’s vital for these kinds of games to be immediately engaging: to let people jump in with the minimum of instructions and start having fun.

He also says that his team spends a lot of time refining the little touches, right down to the sound effects when players pick up virtual pieces in Words With Friends.

“We spent a long time tweaking those, even though it seems like a little thing. Those physical interactions you have with the stuff under the glass of the phone is so important,” he says.

“You can see it the first time you turn on an iPhone and slide that Unlock button across. It feels magic, almost like there’s something real under the glass. And we try to play that up in Scramble With Friends, so it feels like you’re playing with this physical toy underneath the screen.”

Bettner says that there is no shortage of ideas for new features and improvements from With Friends players, who tend to be “extremely vocal”. Scramble With Friends was swiftly updated after its release, for example, after players of the paid version complained that its virtual tokens system restricted the amount of matches they could play.

How does the studio decide what games to make next? “I start by asking what would my wife want to play,” he says. “She’s a tough critic with a short attention span, and represents the perfect consumer I’m trying to target. If a game is too complicated or too strategy-focused, she’ll move on to something else.”

Bettner says that the With Friends studio is also firmly focused on tapping into people’s nostalgia for the games of their youth, from board games to pen-and-paper games like hangman. The idea: to make digital toys out of the childlike forms of play that are “prewired into the brains” of today’s smartphone owners.

What has Bettner learned about the business models of social mobile gaming over the last three years? Chiefly to never feel smug about what he has learned, seemingly.

“The things that worked last year are totally different to what works today,” he says. “The business models are being invented in real-time still. Facebook is a little more established in terms of what works, but mobile is like the Wild West.”

When it came out, Chess With Friends cost £2.99 ($4.99 in the US) as a paid download, with no in-game adverts. “We thought we were going to be rich, then only about 10 people bought it,” he chuckles.

“We decided to make the game free. We were forced to try new things or die, which taught me an important lesson about staying very agile. I realised we had to keep experimenting, and be as creative with our business models as we were with our game designs.”

That would later extend to using in-app purchases in Hanging With Friends, selling in-game currency and virtual items. Bettner admits that the studio has made mistakes, but has also “stumbled into things that work really well” through its willingness to experiment.

“People have expectations in the With Friends games of a certain level of value they get for free, so introducing some of these new mechanics has caused a little bit of friction,” he says. “With something like the tokens in Scramble With Friends, we’re learning fast and rolling out changes to the economy.”

Both Words With Friends and Hanging With Friends are available on Android as well as iOS. Bettner has noticed some differences between the two platforms, but is positive about both.

“Android is growing like a weed, that’s obvious, and we see the same trend in the growth of our Android user base,” he says, before pinpointing a “different economy” on Google’s platform.

“Users on Android tend to favour lower-priced items and expect more free content. I’m not sure what contributes to that, but we definitely see that in the behaviour of users across the two platforms.”

However, it’s being on both that creates a tangible benefit for Zynga and the With Friends studio, according to Bettner, who says that when Hanging With Friends launched on Android, it spurred increased usage back on iOS.

“When we are able to release a game on both platforms, it actually causes both platforms to grow,” he says. “There’s a ripple effect, which is testament to the fact that the game is fundamentally social. My gut feeling is that when people can suddenly find more friends to play, it causes a surge in engagement.”

It was another insanely busy year for smartphone games, with thousands of releases cluttering the App Store and Android Markets, while the selection of Windows Phone 7 titles has been improving daily